Method for manufacturing formed lumps of shellfish meat

ABSTRACT

A formed lump of shellfish meat is manufactured by placing cooked shellfish meat into a mold, placing raw shellfish meat into a mold, compressing the shellfish meat, and cooking the compressed shellfish meat to make a formed lump of shellfish meat. The shellfish meat may be crab, scallops, shrimp, or lobster.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/536,301, filed on Sep. 28, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of molding pieces of meat, such as crab meat, into formed lumps.

2. Background Art

Jumbo lumps of certain meat, such as crab meat for example, are more commercially valuable and command a higher sales price than smaller lumps or loose flakes thereof. In the instance of crab meat, in order to get the jumbo lumps of meat from the two back fins of the crab, professional pickers are required who have acquired the skill of removing the jumbo lumps intact. Having professional pickers remove jumbo lumps intact is costly and time consuming, so processes for molding smaller pieces of meat together to create formed jumbo lumps have been developed.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,385 to Roberts et al. discloses feeding loose meat into a hopper which is then discharged into cavities of a mold plate for forming the loose meat into lumps.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,046 to Briddell discloses placing a mixture of partially cooked and substantially cooked crab meat into die cavities for molding the mixture of crab meat particles into a lump.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,017 to Yueh discloses preparing fabricated seafood products, such as shrimp and lobster tail. A mixture of partially cooked fish and a paste of finely comminuted fresh fish are formed into a desired shape.

The present invention differs from the processes described in the aforementioned patents in that formed lumps of pure meat are prepared without the use of a paste or binder containing other substances and the formed lumps are prepared using a mixture of cooked meat and raw meat.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a formed lump of shellfish meat is manufactured by placing cooked shellfish meat into a mold, placing raw shellfish meat into a mold, compressing the shellfish meat, and cooking the compressed shellfish meat to make a formed lump of shellfish meat. The shellfish meat may be crab, scallops, shrimp, or lobster.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flow chart outlining the steps for manufacturing a formed lump of meat according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is plan view of an open mold for forming a lump of meat.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of an open mold for forming a lump of meat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention can be utilized to mold pieces of crab meat or other seafood into jumbo formed lumps and is particularly useful in forming flakes of crab meat into formed jumbo lumps. As crab meat is the preferred species of meat, the invention will be described referring to crab meat. However, the invention is not limited to crab meat and is readily adaptable to any species of seafood, such as scallops, shrimp, or lobster.

The method for making a formed lump of crab meat will be discussed with reference to the general outline presented in the flow chart of FIG. 1. It is noted that the flow chart of FIG. 1 is exemplary and can include additional steps, as needed or appropriate.

As indicated in step 100, pieces of crab meat are placed in a mold. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary mold 208 for utilization in the present invention. Mold 208 has a lower mold 210 with a lower mold cavity 212 and an upper mold 214 with an upper mold cavity 216. While lower and upper molds 210, 214 in FIG. 2 only illustrate a single lower mold cavity 212 and a single upper mold cavity 216, lower and upper molds 210, 214 can have a plurality of mold cavity pairs to form a plurality of formed lumps in a batch as shown for example in FIG. 3. Lower and upper mold cavities 212, 216 are sized to the desired dimensions and shape of the formed lump. In one embodiment the dimensions of mold cavities 212, 216 are sized jumbo lumps of crab meat in the range of about 3 to about 13 grams in weight. In other embodiments, the jumbo lumps may have a range of about 6 to about 10 grams in weight. In yet another, embodiment, the jumbo lump may have a range of about 6 to about 12 grams in weight. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, mold cavities 212, 216 may be triangular in shape; however, the cavities may have other shapes. In other embodiments, the shape of the mold cavities may depend upon the type of meat being molded. For example the mold cavities may be a shrimp shape when shrimp meat is being molded, a scallop shape when scallop meat is being molded, or in the shape of a lobster tail when lobster meat is being molded. The crab meat is placed in either lower mold cavity 212, upper mold cavity 216 or both.

Lower and upper molds 210, 214 preferably are made of stainless steel, although other materials known to a person of ordinary skill in the art could also be utilized, such as, for example aluminum or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Preferably, lower and upper mold cavities 212, 216 have non-stick surfaces such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Lower mold 210 and upper mold 214, are preferably connected with a hinge 218, however, other configurations known in the art can also be utilized in accordance with the present invention. Upper mold 214, also preferably has a clasp, clip or other closing means that attaches to lower mold 210 forcing upper mold 214 and lower mold 210 together, thereby providing pressure to the crab meat therein.

Crab meat placed in the mold is a mixture of cooked crab meat in the form of flakes and raw crab meat in the form of a paste. The mixture may have up to about 40% raw crab meat by weight or volume. In one embodiment, the mixture comprises about 25% raw crab meat by weight or by volume and about 75% cooked crab meat by weight or by volume. In another embodiment, the embodiment the mixture may comprise about 16% raw crab meat by weight or by volume and about 84% cooked crab meat by weight or by volume. In an alternate embodiment, all the crab meat placed in the mold can be cooked crab meat. In another alternative embodiment, all the crab meat placed in the mold may be raw crab meat. The cooked crab meat can be selected from broken jumbo crab meat, special crab meat, back fin crab meat, claw, undersized jumbo lumps, and combinations thereof. The raw crab meat can be selected from white crab meat, claw, claw knuckle, and combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the flakes of cooked crab meat are lined up in the mold such that the texture of the flakes of crab meat are aligned in the same direction. This process is preferably done by hand because it results in a high quality formed lump. If the cooked crab meat does not have a red knuckle then a red knuckle from claw crab meat may be added to the mold. Subsequently, a paste of raw crab meat is applied to fill the remainder of the mold cavities. The paste may be made from fresh raw crab meat or may be made from raw crab meat that was frozen and subsequently thawed, or combinations thereof. It is also preferred that the formed lumps be 100% crab meat, so only crab meat is placed in the mold and no binder, fillers, starches or other substances, are placed in the mold.

In step 102, the crab meat is compressed between lower and upper molds 210, 214 to form the lump of crab meat to the desired shape by moving upper mold 214 about hinge 218 to place upper mold 214 over lower mold 210 or by otherwise moving lower and upper molds 210, 214 relative to one another to press the crab meat therebetween. The pressure causes the raw crab meat paste to stick to the cooked crab meat flakes and hold the formed lump together. Additional pressure may be applied to the mold 208 by an external force, such as, for example a pressing device. In a preferred embodiment the jumbo formed lumps of crab meat are formed in the range of 3 to 13 grams in weight.

In step 104, the crab meat is cooked to coagulate the crab meat to maintain the shape of the formed lump. The cooking step 104 can occur simultaneously with or after the compressing step 102. If the cooking step 104 occurs after the compressing step 102, the crab meat can be cooked either inside or outside the mold. In a preferred embodiment, the crab meat is compressed and then the compression is maintained during the cooking step. When a mixture of raw and cooked crab meat is placed in the mold the mixture is preferably cooked for approximately 5 to 7 minutes at approximately 100° C. In another embodiment, the mixture may be cooked for approximately 3 minutes. This cooking time and temperature is merely exemplary and can be varied as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art as long as the crab meat is coagulated. Cooking step 104 can be performed through conventional means, such as, for example, in an oven or boiling in water or steam.

In step 106 the formed lump of crab meat is trimmed to the desired shape. Preferably the trimming is performed after allowing the formed lump of crab meat to cool. The trimming can be performed using any conventional method, such as by hand with a knife. The cooling can occur before or after the formed lump is removed from the mold and can be performed through conventional means, such as, for example, air cooling or dipping the mold in cold water or a combination thereof.

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present invention as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present invention and the appended claims in any way. 

1. A method for making a formed lump of shellfish meat comprising the steps of: placing cooked shellfish meat into a mold; separately placing only raw shellfish meat into the mold; compressing the cooked shellfish meat and raw shellfish meat in the mold; and cooking the compressed shellfish meat to make a formed lump of shellfish meat.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shellfish meat is selected from the group consisting of crab, scallops, shrimp, and lobster.
 3. The formed lump of shellfish meat of claim 1, wherein the formed lump of shellfish meat is 100% crab meat by weight or volume.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the compressed shellfish meat comprises up to about 40% raw crab meat by weight or volume.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the compressed shellfish meat comprises about 25% raw crab meat and about 75% cooked crab meat by weight or volume.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the compressed shellfish meat comprises about 16% raw crab meat and about 84% cooked crab meat by weight or volume.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooked shellfish meat is crab meat and has a texture and wherein placing the cooked crab meat into the mold further comprises aligning the texture of the cooked crab meat in the mold.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooked shellfish meat is crab meat and the cooked crab meat comprises pieces selected from the group consisting of broken jumbo crab meat, special crab meat, back fin crab meat, claw, and combinations thereof.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the raw shellfish meat is crab meat and the raw crab meat comprises pieces selected from the group consisting of white crab meat, claw, claw knuckle, and combinations thereof.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising cooling the formed lump of shellfish meat.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising trimming the formed lump of crab meat after cooling.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the formed lump weighs from about 6 grams to about 12 grams.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the formed lump weighs from about 3 grams to about 13 grams.
 14. A formed lump of shellfish meat made according to a method comprising the steps of: placing cooked shellfish meat in the form of flakes onto a surface of a mold; separately placing only raw shellfish meat in the form of a paste onto the cooked shellfish meat; compressing the cooked shellfish meat and raw shellfish meat in the mold; cooking the compressed shellfish meat to make a formed lump of shellfish meat; and removing the formed lump of shellfish meat from the mold.
 15. The formed lump of shellfish meat of claim 14, wherein the shellfish meat is selected from the group consisting of crab, scallops, shrimp, and lobster.
 16. The formed lump of shellfish meat of claim 14, wherein the formed lump weighs about 6 grams to about 10 grams.
 17. The formed lump of shellfish meat of claim 14, wherein the formed lump weighs about 3 grams to about 13 grams.
 18. The formed lump of shellfish meat of claim 14, wherein the cooked shellfish meat is crab meat and the cooked crab meat comprises pieces selected from the group consisting of broken jumbo crab meat, special crab meat, back fin crab meat, claw, and combinations thereof
 19. The formed lump of shellfish meat of claim 15, wherein the raw shellfish meat is crab meat and the raw crab meat comprises pieces selected from the group consisting of white crab meat, claw, claw knuckle, and combinations thereof
 20. The formed lump of shellfish meat of claim 15, wherein the formed lump of shellfish meat is 100% crab meat by weight or volume.
 21. The method of claim 1, wherein placing cooked shellfish into a mold occurs before placing raw shellfish meat into the mold. 